Creating a splash with your website
Are you one of those desk jockeys that has Telkoms phone directory and Yellow Pages on your desk? If you are like many people in offices countrywide, you do, but probably use them as improvised laptop or monitor stands, bringing your screen up to eye-level. And, when you need contact details for some or other company, chances are you go straight to Google and find the companys website, without even a moments thought to what is lying right in front of you. You then click on the contact us link and there you ll find more contact information than you will ever need. Who really needs a phone book anymore?
I am willing to vouch that this is the modus operandi of a large number of people worldwide and it is for this very reason that your company website has to be an integral part of your branding and marketing plans. Sure, a flashy site (sorry Adobe...), while looking and sounding good, may just be your downfall. The site needs to load quickly, be user friendly and be accessable to all users on all platforms and across all operating systems. Personally, if a website does not load quickly, I close the window and move on.
Usability is a very important factor when designing the site and it is said that the user must be able to get from any one place on the site, to any another, with a maximum of two clicks. People should not have to struggle to find the information they are seeking. Ive heard it said that if they cannot find it - they cannot buy it .
Websites have become the front desk of the company. They are the first place people turn to for the information they require, whether it be a phone number, products and services offered or even the name of that lady they spoke to once in accounts... The site needs to be easy to find and as such, the URL must be as close to the company name as possible. You also need to ensure that it ranks highly on search engine results and for this reasons SEO has become such a highly specialised area.
It is a reasonably cheap medium to set up and one that once completed, is a free advert for your company. Where else can you showcase your product free of charge and one that can be amended almost immediately at no real cost to you. Think of what catalogues or flyers cost to produce and the savings immediately become obvious. And, how often are they really even looked at. If even 1% of people react positively to a flyer, it is considered a good ROI!
By having a web presence, you expand your market significantly and make your product available to people across the globe, rather than the limited market audience your local area provides. It is also an audience that wants to know about your product and one that is looking for you specifically. Think of a website as a branch of your office that never shuts, and which can provide people with what they want 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What more could anyone ask for...
The moral of the story is this - no matter what field company is involved in, you need a website. More and more people are turning to the Internet to find information, and if you do not have a web presence you will only be making it more difficult for people to find you - something you certainly do not want.
I write a regular marketing column for Invisage, a subsection of IE Magazine. Read it here with the most recent listed first.